Machine for punching holes in documents and the like



' Jne 17,1930. w. w. sRlERs 1,763,859'

MACHINE FOR PUNCHING HOLES IN DOCUMENTS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 2l. 1927 Jrwordov WILLIAM WALLncEPleRs,

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Patented .lune 17, 1930 UNITED STATES WILLIAM WALLACE SPIERS, F LONDON, ENGLAND MACHINE FOR PUNCHING HOLES IN DOCUMENTS AND THE LIKE' Application filed October 21, 1927, Serial No. 227,752, and in Great Britain December 18, 1926.

My invention relates to machines for punching holes in documents and the like, and has for its object to provide a machine whereby a plurality of holes may be punched by a single punch at any predetermined distances apart relatively to each other, and to the margins of the article under operation.

To this end, a machine embodying the invention is characterized by the combination l0 of a punch, a measuring device including a linear scale or rule, and an anchoring appliance or appliances adjustably or non-adjustably associated with the device, the arrangement being such that the method of op- 5 eration consists in adjusting the document or the like to determine the position of the desired hole, punching the hole, re-adjusting the document or the like, and utilizing the said hole as an anchoring expedient for 2U punching another hole.

By way of example, I will now describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a construction of machine particularly adapted for punching two holes in sheets typifiable by stock eX- change lists and newspapers to be assembled onva file of the kind forming the subject matter of my copending United States application for patent Serial No. 227,088 filed 19thv 3G October', 1927, for a binder file.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary inverted plan;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4 in Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5--5 in the same figure.

rEhe same letters of reference are used throughout to designate the same parts.

As represented, I employ a rectangular bascaV of wood or any other suitable material which. appropriately, is provided in the region of each corner with an anti-scratch foot of rubber or the like. At one end of, and on the top of, the base a I iiX a punch o of any known or appropriate kind.

rlhe base a below the punch c is cut-away at CZ as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to vform a receptacle in conjunction with a cover@ for thepunchings. The cover e comprises a plate which at one end is pivoted at f t0 the base a, while the other end is formed with a hook g for engaging and disengaging a pin z, secured to the base a. Suitably, the pivotal arrangement f comprises aspring z' adapted to cause the hook g to engage the pin with a snap action and thus ensure maintenance of closure andl absence of chattering.

Art the outer cheek of the punch c I provide y an adjustable gauge Afor determining the v distance of the hole to be punched from the edge of the sheet. This gauge y may be of' any known or appropriate form, such as that illustrated which comprises a headed pin k screwed in the cheek of the punch c, and a' slotted plate Z mounted on the pin 7a and adapted to slide between the cheek of the punch c and the head of the pin k. The gauge j is suitably calibrated. Y Between the inner cheek of the punch c and the distant end of the base a I secure onthe top of, and centrally of, the base a a metal channel-section member m destined to constitute a guide to a metal slidable bar n. At the sides of the member m I secure scales 0Y and p which are'suitably calibrated in measures of length, the scale o denoting the English system and the scale 29 the metric system. Thel width o f the base ofthe punch c is utilized to form a portion of the unit of length of the scales o and p. VThe bar a is furnished with pointers g and r at the respective ends, and with them headed screw pins 8 and t are associated for frictionally engaging the guide m and thus locking the bar a in any position set according to the scale 0 or p. The head u of the screw pin s is adapted to operate as an anchor to a sheet in conjunction with a hole previously punched in the sheet as I will presently explain. A y

T he bar n is adapted to be adjusted end for end in the guide member m for the purpose I will also presently explain. n

The operation briefly is as follows:

Having adjusted the gauge j to meet the distance of theperforations from the edge of the sheet, the sheet isV aligned with the scale a or p for determining the dist-ance of the perforation from the top 0f the sheet "-J and with the punch c which is operated and the hole obtained. Next, the bar n is slid until the pointer g is brought into alignment with the desired part of the scale 0 Orp agreeing with the distance the perforations are to be apart. Then, the perforation already made is placed over the head u of the screw pin s, and on operating lthe' punch 0 the other perforation is made, the pin s Jfunctioning as an anchor to the sheet.

Now, supposing the perforationsv are at a distance apart outside the limits of the scales o and p, the bar n is withdrawn from the guide m and re-inserted in the reverse direction as depicted by the dot-and-dash lines in Fig. l. Therefore, the length of the bar .n being known, the aggregation of such length with the scale 0 or p provides the requisite measurement. Thus, according to the example, the bar n is ten inches long and the pointer r is set at the' eleven-inch marl; whereby a total adjustment of twenty one inches is given, the maximum being twenty two inches.

As will now be evident, the barn and the scales 0 and ,v9 compose the aforesaid measuring device, and the head u of the screw pin s the anchoring appliance, which, in, itself, is not adjustable lengthwise of the scales o and y), but its'rendered adjustable by the slidingof the bar n, althoughY it can be adjustably arranged by lixing the bar n, and providing it with a series of holes in determined space relation by constituting` the bar xn as a rule. Obviously, too, the screw pin t may be adapted in the same way as the screw pin s. f

Nhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :V 1. A machinefor punching holesv in documents and the like comprising, in combina- Y tion, a punch, a guide memberin juxtapositionto the punch, a bar adjustable inV the guide member and removable and reversible relatively thereto, a scale device in 'associa tion with the guide member, the means forV Vlocking the bar in the adjusted position forming an anchor to the article under operation. Y Y 2. A machine for punching holes in documents and the like comprising, in combination, a single punch, an adjustment device for detern'iining the position of the places of Y the holes to be punched, a base plate on which is disposed the punch and the adjustnient' device, movablemeans for attaching a pin to said base plate, said pin being adapted to co-act with a hole punched out to determine the position of a consecutive hole to be punched,rtl1e device, carrying the pin also holding an adjustable projection for the adjustment of the distance from the punch of the end of the paper to be punched.

ln testimony whereof, aliiX my signature.

VILLIAM VALLACE SPIERS. 

